April 8, 2008

"Bra Boys" is a film about the cultural evolution of the inner-Sydney beachside suburb of Maroubra and the social struggle of its youth - the tattooed and much maligned surf community known as the Bra Boys. The story is narrated by Australian actor Russell Crowe and is told through the eyes of members of the Bra Boys.

It is the first full-length film project being undertaken by, and officially sanctioned by, the Bra Boys. It is their story. It shows their success in professional big wave surfing, it explores their international reputation for hard partying and rough justice, it touches on their running battle with authorities and it shows their absolute reliance on one another to fit into a society in which they are displaced and, at times, disinterested. It shows how the evolution of Maroubra, coupled with the historical stigma associated with Australia's rebellious surf community, has contributed to their social displacement.

Central to the story is the true-life struggle of the Abberton brothers - Sunny, Koby, Jai and Dakota ... one charged with murdering a Sydney standover man, another pursuing a professional surf career but charged as an accessory in his brother's legal fight, another trying to hold the family together and a young brother whose inheritance is his sibling's notoriety.

"Bra Boys" uses archival footage shot and blends it with current surf vision and interviews to create a story that is compassionate and confronting. It is a story of contrast involving against-the-odds success and predictable failures and, ultimately, a story exploring the legacy and hopes of the next